Grand Rapids Press 10 hours ago
Detroit Tigers' Justin Verlander draws high praise from Brad Ausmus after latest stint on mound
Ausmus says Verlanders stuff is the best hes seen it since he was hired as Tigers manager. LAKELAND, Fla. -- Brad Ausmus saw Justin Verlander throw to hitters again Sunday. He liked what he saw. In fact, he liked it a lot. "Obviously every pitcher had their moments last year," Ausmus said. "But that's the best I've seen Ver stuff-wise off the mound since I got this job." Ausmus said after watching a recent bullpen session that Verlander's curveball was excellent. It was less so a few days ago when Verlander faced live hitters for the first time. On Sunday, the...
Grand Rapids Press Feb 24, 2015
Detroit Tigers over-under: What will Justin Verlander's earned-run average be in 2015?
Perhaps no question is more pressing or important in determining the success of the Tigers than the effectiveness of Justin Verlander, who is now a year removed from surgery. Editor's note: Tigers reporter James Schmehl is predicting the events of the 2015 Tigers season through a series of "over-under" stories. Each day, he will make a statistical prediction and allow readers to predict whether the final number will be over or under the initial prediction. The series will run every day until March 3. Question: What will Justin Verlander's ERA be in 2015? James...
The Detroit Tiger Weblog Feb 21, 2015
Charting the Rest of Justin Verlander’s Career
Let’s be honest. Justin Verlander was awful last year. His ace title has been removed across baseball, and I don’t think there is anyone in Detroit who thinks he’s the best pitcher on the staff right now. He definitely wasn’t worth $20M last year, and we certainly don’t want Verlander’s contract to anchor a ship […]
Grand Rapids Press Feb 21, 2015
Detroit Tigers notes: Justin Verlander 'outstanding' in bullpen session, lobbies for more pitches
Avila has become accustomed to Verlanders desire to stay on the mound. When he gets on a roll, Avila said, its hard to stop him. LAKELAND, Fla. -- It seems that Justin Verlander never wants to come off the mound. He always thinks he can throw some more pitches. Even if it's the second day of spring training. Verlander threw about 55 pitches Saturday in his first bullpen session since pitchers and catchers started workouts. "I thought he looked outstanding," manager Brad Ausmus said. "One thing that stood out to me was the action on his curveball. Much...
NoNoHitters.com Feb 20, 2015
No-no birthday wishes to Verlander, Wright, Wilson
Happy birthday to three no-no pitchers: Justin Verlander, who threw two no-nos for the Detroit Tigers, Clyde Wright, who threw one for the California Angels, and Jim Wilson, who tossed one for the Milwaukee Braves. Verlander, who turns 32 today, threw his on: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Detroit Tigers 4, Milwaukee Brewers 0 Comerica Park …
Grand Rapids Press Feb 19, 2015
From Justin Verlander to Angel Nesbitt: 5 pitchers to watch for Detroit Tigers during spring training
Which pitchers should Tigers fans keep an eye on this spring? Well, many Tigers fans will want to keep tabs on all of them. But here are five that might be worth keeping both eyes on. LAKELAND, Fla. -- Today is reporting day for Detroit Tigers pitchers and catchers. Which pitchers should Tigers fans keep an eye on this spring? Well, many Tigers fans will want to keep an eye on all of them. But here are five that might be worth keeping both eyes on: Justin Verlander: This seems so obvious that it's almost not worthy of mention. Verlander is coming off a rough...
Grand Rapids Press Feb 18, 2015
Justin Verlander on Central Division race, Max Scherzer, Shane Greene and other Tigers topics
Verlander said it will not be odd to see Scherzer in another uniform: No. I think everybody saw this coming a year ago. If you didnt, youre blind. RELATED: Justin Verlander says he is open to changing approach, not sure whether he needs to just yet LAKELAND, Fla. -- Justin Verlander touched upon several topics -- in addition to his own performance and preparation -- in a nearly 15-minute interview with a group of Detroit Tigers beat writers. Here are some of the highlights: On how he assesses the Tigers at this point:"I talked to Alex (Avila) about this and...
Grand Rapids Press Feb 18, 2015
Justin Verlander says he is open to changing approach, not sure whether he needs to just yet
Verlander clearly thinks the work he did this offseason and the fact that he his more than a full year removed from core muscle surgery have put him much closer to where he needs to be. He believes he can still pitch the way he used to. LAKELAND, Fla. -- Justin Verlander says he is willing to change his approach. He's just not sure he needs to quite yet. Verlander is coming off a frustrating season. He turns 32 on Friday. Those two things combined have many believing that he needs to change his approach while transitioning into a new type of pitcher for the...
Rotoworld Feb 17, 2015
Verlander throws bullpen session - Justin Verlander (S) Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander threw 60 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday.
KFFL Feb 14, 2015
Tigers | Justin Verlander throwing twice a week
Detroit Tigers SP Justin Verlander has been throwing two bullpen sessions a week at the ...
Bless You Boys Feb 13, 2015
Who will be the Tigers’ comeback player of the year in 2015?
The Tigers could use a bounce back season from several of their key players. Who will be the comeback player for the Tigers in 2015? Justin Verlander finished among the top 15 pitchers in the American league in WAR in 2014, and twelfth in innings pitched, and 18th in strikeouts. But for a pitcher who has annually been in the Cy Young conversation, winning the award along with the league’s MVP in 2011, last season was an off year, by his standards. After having surgery to repair his core muscle in mid January, Verlander’s preparation was rudely interrupted, and he never got back on...
Bless You Boys Feb 7, 2015
Justin Verlander's slider and curveball reveal mechanical changes in his delivery
Neither Verlander's slider nor his curveball have been as sharp over the past couple seasons. I have a confession: I lied to you. Well, 'lied' probably isn't the most accurate term. I misled you. Like Dave Dombrowski does with every rumor that crosses his path, I chose my words carefully in order to pull the wool over your eyes, making you look one direction while I was tidying up the loose ends of something else. No, I have not signed James Shields. The other day, I looked at Justin Verlander's performance in 2014 and found that he allowed a much higher batting average to right-handed...
Bless You Boys Feb 3, 2015
What went wrong with Justin Verlander in 2014?
There were a lot of things Verlander struggled with last season, but not all of them make sense. Justin Verlander struggled through one of the worst seasons of his career in 2014, ending the year with a 4.54 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 206 innings. All of those statistics were his worst totals since 2008, a season that all Tigers fans would like to forget. Verlander was still a valuable contributor, with over 200 innings pitched and 3.3 WAR for his eighth consecutive season. However, he was far from the tour de force we saw in 2011 and 2012, and a fair shake worse than in 2013. As such, asking...
Bless You Boys Feb 2, 2015
Rafael Dolis is a longshot to make the Tigers' Opening Day roster
A solid showing in the minors could earn him a call-up later in the season, though. The Tigers have long been known for their love of hard-throwing pitchers. They have featured Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer in their rotation for the last several years. New acquisitions Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene both averaged nearly 95 miles per hour with their fastballs last season. Even the recently departed Rick Porcello was expected to eventually have a fastball that sat in the mid-90s when he was drafted in 2007. This is even more apparent in the bullpen, where fastball velocity often comes at...
